National Republican., 1887-02-09
The Blair Bill.

In the course Of a speech made In the
Senate in February, 1886, Mr.. Blair called
attention to the following statement made
by Hon. j. II. Smart, then and for many
years previously superintendent of public
instruction Of the state Of Indiana, one OF
the most distinguished educators of the
country, and northern man whose asso-
Citations have been such as to make him o
conservative and reliable observer. The
statement is Of the greatest public interest
just at the present time:
Mr.. Chairman and gentlemen of the commit.
tee, / shall dttain you just long enough to
state fact, and TO express an opinion, n fact
in reference TO the need of the south. and an
opinion in reference to their willingness to do
what they can.
II has been my fortune to be able to make
several visits to number of southern states,
and on one of these, taken last summer l was
driven from one of the popular summer resorts
in the state of Georgia TO the railway station,
distance OF about eighteen miles-a road FREE
quontly travelled because this summer resort
was largely visited by southern people-Sy a
negro who owned his own team, letting 1t to the
hotel proprietOrs and his own services during
the summer months. he informed me that he
owned u little house and q small amount of
land; that he rented fifty acres, and l found
that he knew good deal about the condition
of:things in his locality. have talked with
several hundred negroes in the south as oGcl.
zion offered, and want to tell you some of the
answers this driver gave to some of my ques
tons on this ride.
This man was 80 years of age, and he told
me that he had tiled to learn: that there was
aschool within reasonable distance, and
that he had attended that school, but he con-
fesscd that he had not been able to learn very
much. He was man of more than ordinary
intelligence for one in his condition. ! asked
him If he knew the name Of the President of
the United States, and he said that he did not
/ asked him II he knew the name of the gov
erncr OF his state; he said that he did not.
asked i'm II he had voted tor the President of
the United States at the recent election; he
said that he did vote. "Can you tell me for
whom you voted?' mo, sir; l cannot;
don't recollect." "Do You know anything
about England?' "Yes, sir; l nave heard
something about England" "Is 1t in the
United States?" II do not Know" SIS France
in the United Statesg' 81 can't tell you: I
think it is" "Did you ever hear of Coy. COL
quitt?' "Oh, yes; think voted for him. Is
he is not the President of the United States"
"Did you ever hear of Garfeld?' "oh yes; he
was hurt wasn't he; he was shot, wasn't her"
as not that the man you voted for?" "Yes,"
Re thought II was.
Now, this man, unable to read his ballot Is
rot subject whose duty II is to obey, the sum
of whose political duties is found in the word
obedience, but he is q sovereign, and tho ballot
is put into his hands. 1t has been put there by
the national Congress- That man makes the
law that governs me. Forty per cent, as | am
informed by DR.. Orr, OF the voting population
of this state are literates, there being 80 900 OF
them.
related this incident to number of south
ern superintendents d while ago. and / was
told that 1t was a typical case, much to my
establishment. and that what found here with
this negro was TO be found in thousands o.
cases in the other states. / believe that the
state OF Georgia is in danger, and not only the
state of Georgia, but the state of Indiana, from
this state of aileirs-in more danger than II one
hundred thousand men were to land on the
coast of Georgia to-day fully armed and
| equipped for war, and that the state OF Indiana
will suffer from this condition of aIairs.
Now, ] want to express the opinion that the
southern people are willing TO do all they can
to cure this great evil and remove this grea'
wrong, and, so far as | have observed, the
work that has been done, under existing cir
cumstances, has been marvellous work. The
southern people have made u heroic effort
certainly in three or four states that have
visited, TO do the best that could be done fol
these colored people. / want to say thai
throughout the length and breadth of the
southern states, without one exception, the
Colored people are given the same advantages
that the white people are given. No d!stinG-
tion whatever is made; aud, so far as / was
able to find out, there is an almost unanimous
certainly an overwhelming, sentiment in favor
Of educating the colored children equllly
with the white children, And believe, from
what saw, that we are able to trust the exist
ing state organizations represented by these
gentlemen; we are able TO trust them with
whatever means we can appropriate, ard |
speak after some investigation and after deib
Grafton,
There is pressing need, and these gentle-
men have told you about ii; there is no neces
sty for me to talk about 1t, but want to ex
press the feeling that think exists in my own
section oflhe country that this appropriation
ought to be mNde-not only for the protection
of The people Of the south, but for the pro!eu
ton Of the people Of the north that while we
90 not need 1t Tor our own illiterates, for we
ought TO be able TO take care OF them our
lclyCs, we need II because we suffer from an
ignorant ballot, and we see danger In II, 50
that " c Join our brethren from the south in
asking Congress 10 make an adequate and
'pCody appropriation In order that this great
Cyil may be rooted ont.